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Product: Sony MDR-ZX110 - headphone - ∼10€
Manufacturer: Sony - Japan
Product: unbranded haedphone from AliExpress - ∼5-10€
Manuacturer: unknown - China
Reviewer: Lucio Cadeddu - TNT-Audio Italy
Reviewed: October, 2023

Introduction

After the comparison test of three headphone amps under €100 published a couple of weeks ago, the time has come for another provocation for anyone interested in headphone listening: how low can you budget be to listen decently? And, above all, do branded headphones sound better than unbranded Chinese ones? Moreover, do headphone amps still make sense when using super entry-level headphones?

To answer these questions I chose a Sony headphone model MDR-ZX110, which normally costs €15 but can easily be found for €9.99 on Amazon or other stores, and a very similar headphone in appearance, but of an unknown brand, which can be purchased on Aliexpress for less than €5, and which boasts numerous good reviews from online buyers. Both are closed-back wired headphones. They will be compared to my entry-level reference, the surprising Venture Monk Plus earphones, which cost more or less the same amount. All headphones will be powered both by mobile devices and PCs, and by a dedicated amplifier with an extraordinary quality/price ratio, the iFi Zen Air CAN, the winner of the aforementioned comparison test, which costs from 10 to 20 times the price of these headphones. The Douk Audio U3 will be used, as well.

A closer look

The Sony headphones appear incredibly well made for the price, and it's hard to imagine that they could cost so little. The detailed technical specifications can be found on this page of the Sony website. I can say that they feature 30 mm dynamic neodymium drivers, a declared frequency response ranging from 12 Hz to 22 kHz, a sensitivity of 98dB/mW and an impedance of 24Ω (low!). The MDR-ZX110 are available in white, black and pink, and they are also available with an integrated microphone. Weight: 135 grams. They are comfortable to wear, with a good padding in the earcups.

The Chinese headphones, whose manufacturer I have not been able to find, are aesthetically similar. They have a declared impedance of 32Ω and a sensitivity of 103dB (±3dB), 40mm drivers and a proudly featured OFC copper and TPE dielectric connection cable, plus a gold-plated minijack plug. The page where you can purchase it also publishes a bizarre frequency response, which includes a dramatic drop centered at 10 kHz, which becomes more linear at higher frequencies. This would seem to be a deliberate filtering, to emphasize the bass and not tire the ears in the long term. There is a built-in microphone and volume control on the cable. The phones weigh just 117 grams, cable included, compared to 135g for the Sony which, however, uses a sturdier cable. The materials used are similar, lots of plastic and some small metal parts. Both pairs of headphones have received excellent reviews from users who have purchased them.

Sony MDR-ZX110 vs. unbranded headphones from AliExpress! Are €10 enough for a decent sound quality?

I carried out the first match by connecting the three headphones (the two contenders and my reference) to a Lenovo laptop (ex-IBM Thinkpad). I'd say straight away that the Chinese and the Ventures sound equally loud, while the Sonys - even with the volume set at 100% - are unable to produce a satisfactory sound pressure. From a qualitative point of view, even with a source like this, the differences are clearly noticeable: both the headphones under test sound dark, swollen, slow and muddy, while my reference appears to be open, dynamic, precise and fast. Perhaps the headphones under test have a slight advantage on deep bass, but on the rest of the audio range they lose across the board. The Venture earphones may not be super comfortable, but they sound absolutely incredible for the cost. The battle between Sony and the Chinese headphones is close, but the branded headphones sound substantially better than the other: slightly more open and precise, less muddy and clumsy.

Moving on to my OnePlus smartphone, equipped with the Dirac audio suite, the sound improved overall, but the hierarchies didn't change that much. The Ventures, although lighter on the bass than the other two, sound overall more credible, faster and more dynamic and also seem to have a fair amount of spaciousness. The Sonys earns some point here, but in the high range they continue to remain dark and muddy, especially with complex musical programs. They also sound louder, as if the smartphone's headphone output was able to better drive the low impedance of the Sonys. The Chinese ones struggle as best they can, but after a few minutes I just want to take them off. A dark and monotonous bass, non-existent drums in terms of attacks and releases and a completely absent high range make their sound lifeless. The sound remains ineluctably closed inside the head. With the Sony certain sounds appear from outside the head now, but talking about spatiality is still out of question.

Let's go up one level further, with my main system source and iFi Zen Air CAN and Douk Audio U3 headphone amplifiers. And the surprises begin: the Chinese remain glued to their unseemly performance, whereas the Sony literally takes off: the bass tightens and gains control, the high range is more defined and precise, the spatiality increases and the dynamics improve. Obviously, you might say. But not so obvious, since the Ventures, while still improving, do not make any dramatic step forward in sound quality, to the point that now the distance between Sony and Venture is small, and in the low range the Sonys win hands down. There remains a hint of slowness and veil on voices, but the rest of the performance makes me always prefer them.

So what happened? The Sony's low sensitivity and impedance are a graveyard for smartphones and PC/laptop headphone outputs. They literally castrate them. The other headphones, on the other hand, must be an easier load and manage to sound good even with these sources. As soon as you give the Sonys the correct driving power, you experience a sound you'd never expect for just €10! The bottom line is: headphone amps can really make a difference, especially if the headphones have low sensitivity and are not an easy load. On the other hand, however, the headphone amplifier does not always manage to transform a duckling into a swan (read: Chinese headphones). If the potential is there, the headphone amp brings it out; otherwise it doesn't.

Final remarks:

1. avoid these Sony headphones if you don't have a decent headphones amp, you won't understand their performance, not even to a small extent;
2. avoid these Chinese headphones at all costs. How they can have so many positive reviews is a big mystery to me. Their sound is substantially (perhaps deliberately?) wrong;
3. the Sony headphones with the small Douk U3 amplifier form a combination that I consider qualitatively acceptable and incredible in terms of quality/price ratio (€10+€30!). Of course, with the iFi Zen Air they sound even better, but let's say that perhaps it is an unequal match;
4. for use with portable sources or PC/laptop the Venture Monk Plus are still the reference to beat in this price range.

Conclusions

While waiting for another possible Chinese “miracle”, I can only conclude that the Sony MDR-ZX110 headphones are, for €10, a great surprise, but only if combined with good quality sources and an at least decent headphone amplifier. Without these prerequisites they would fail miserably. So, can you listen well for €10? Yes, with the Venture Monk Plus and mobile or PC/laptop sources, otherwise you need another €30/40 for a headphone amp, e.g. the Douk Audio U3. As you can see, in HiFi you should never take things for granted!

N. B. The headphones and headphone amplifiers used in this test were purchased with the funds of the generous PayPal donations from you readers. Thank you! You can continue to contribute by clicking on the button below!

Copyright 2023 Lucio Cadeddu - direttore@tnt-audio.com - www.tnt-audio.com

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